John Muir the movie

Last weekend we had the presentations for the John Muir Award that I ran with a load of youngen's in the summer. I also got the award for being involved. Part of it was making a spoof film about Muir himself. Needless to say it went down well with the kids. In the USA Muir is a hero, not just some local boy as he is in Dunbar. It will be interesting to see how they take it knowing how poor their sense of humour...sorry humor is. Apparantly it was shown here to some important JM people and there was a slight wind blowing in the room as the tumbleweed rolled past! Here's the link if you want to have a look yourself.

John Muir is the Conservator

School Camp

I have recently returned from school camp in the Trossachs. A week with 145 10 and 11 year olds doing loads of outdoor activities. The school have started to trust me enough (or are desperate) to give me a couple of the looney tune kids to look after. I had 10 lads at the start of the week to look after...by the end of the week there would be 8. The first was lost on Tuesday. His contract specified that if he was threatening or violent then he would be removed and put in a cabin with a teacher on his own....the alternative was going home. I just happened to be there as he tried to punch holes out of someone who gave him the wrong kind of look, so off he went cursing me because it was my fault he was in trouble? By Wednesday we had lost another. One kid had been a bit withdrawn and mardy all week. I thought it was because he was a ginger and used to living a life on the edge of things. He was also a bit spotty for a 10 year old...but then that's because he had chicken pox! I am a youth worker not a doctor... how was I supposed to know. Off he went too. I nearly lost another kid on our early morning run. The run ends up on a slide (see picture) which is fast anyway, but in the torrential rain its lethal as one kid discovered when his head nbanged off the sides of it at high speed.

There were lots of challenges like how to avoid Isabelle who was also there. I didn't want to be in her way and stand accused of being her embarrassing dad. Although to be fair if she had seen me on the flying fox or the cat walk she would have been justified. Here is a picture of me on the flying fox looking ridiculous. I also did the cat walk which is basically a beam accross two Scotch Pines about 30ft in the air. I decided that it might be fun to take a picture from up there...but as I stood looking down my legs were like Shakin Stevens performing This Ole House. Isabelle did the pole climb which introduces them to one use of a pole...they save the dancing stuff until they are grown up. It's simple...you climb a pole and jump off and try and hit a big red thing. Talking of poles...the centre was run by them and I take my hat off to their effciency at meal times. Every 3 hours we were given a cooked meal. The kids get hearty portions, but if you are anything over the 4ft 2" then chef thinks your'e an adult and gives you twice as much. By the end of the week I was feeling very lardy indeed. Still all the kids had a good time.

Cross Country?

Saturday was the start of the cross country season. It was a glorious day and a short race to warm us up for the mud, ice, thorns, crap and sludge that lies ahead of us this winter. 4 x 4km relay in Dunfermline. Dunfermline is like Dunbar in that it is rapidly expanding with new houses made by the same firms. Duloch Park was the venue for the race. 12 months ago when Duloch Park was chosen as the venue for the race, Duloch Park was just that....open fields, marshland, etc. Today Duloch park is a new estate and as indistinct as the next one. Duloch Park is now Duloch Muir...5 bedroom luxury houses with a field next to them.
The race itself was quite exciting as you have to get into a pen in the order of your team mates are going to run. Then as your previous runner returns the marshal lets you go and the adrenelin gets you running like mad. It was a tough long and winding road (dirt path) and I lost 4 places to beanpole athletes who flew past me. Eventually we came 28th out of 54 as a team, and I did my 4km in a slow 15:45. I think a bit of work is needed there then seen as the winner did it in 12: 20!

Of mice and men

They're back! Lying in bed at 3.30 am and straight above me I could hear the pitter patter of little feet, scratch scratch and other strange noises. It's the mice. Around about this time last year they graced us with their presence until I terminated what must have been the daddy of them all. I sent Emma off to the hardware shop for some more traps and she returned with an arsenal of devices designed to catch the vermin. None were humane traps and basically consist of the mouse breaking its neck whilst having its last meal. Peanut butter is apparantly their favourite last meal so I tried its on 3 of the 5 traps, and Kit Kat (no pun intended) on the other. The bets were on and by 4pm in the afternoon the kit kat was a clear winner with its first head. However within the next 2 hours SunPat took out 3 more. All has been quiet since and I am worried that I have eliminated Dunbar's population of wood mice. Time will tell, but meanwhile I am enjoying scratch free nights.